Roller screen for automobiles



June 14, 1932. w ROGERS 1,863,255

ROLLER SCREEN FOR AUTOIOBILES' Filed Dec. 9, 1930 y2/g@ Q@ Gttcrneg Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES W'ILFORD ROGERS, 0F LOGAN, UTAH ROLLER SCREEN FOR AUTOMOBILES yAmmerlaan mea December 9,1930. serial No. 501,138.

My present invention relates generally to roller screens and more particularly to such screens as applied to the windows of automoj bile bodies, my primary object being the provision of an apparatus which, by virtue of its simplicity, may be readily and quickly apy plied to automobile windows so that the screen will rise anl fall with the movement of the pane or sash.

It is also my object to providea roller screen adapted to follow and be guided along its side edges in the usual groove between the glass guiding felts, and the necessary roller casing or housing of which may be readily secured in place without necessitating more than the removal of the upper head strip or inner reveal of the frame and the cutting away of small portions of the guide felts at the upper ends thereof.

With these general objects in mind, other more detailed objects and the resulting -advantages of my present invention will more clearly appear in the course of the following description and by reference to the accom- 35 panying drawing, which forms a part of this specification. and in which, l Y

Figure l is side view looking at the inner side of an automobile door, showing my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a partial vertical transverse section on an enlarged scale taken therethrough on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the roller housing and roller;

Figures 4 and 5 are detail transverse sections taken through the roller housing,re spectively, on lines 4-4 and 5 5 of Figure 3, with the roller removed.

Referring now to these figures, and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, I have sho-wn at 10 one of the doors of a closed vehicle, the glass panel 11 sliding, as usual, between guide felts 12 and the window opening having around the inner sides thereof finishing strips or reveals 13, which are secured in place by the ordinary screws so that removal of any section thereof is a comparatively simple matter. 4

In accordance with my invention, the up- 50 per reveal section 13 is permanently removed for the placement of my improved roller screen casing or housing 14. This housing is of suflicient length to extend along and within the upper portion of the window opening from one side thereof to the other inwardly of the glass panel 11, and is generally of rectangular form with a top wall 15, side walls 1'6 and 17 and end walls 18. The end Walls receive the pintles 19 of a roller 20, which may be the usual curtain roller with the pawls removed. The screen 21 whose width is the full lengthl of the roller is attached to and wound upon the roller 20.

It will be noted that the top wall 15 of the roller casing, which latter may, as shown, be entirely open at its bottom, extends laterally at 22 over the side wall 16 and the upper portion of this side wall has an angular extension 23 below and parallel to the top wall extension 22, and terminating in a downturned flange 24 parallel to and spaced from the side wall 16.

The space between the top wall extension 22 and the side wall extension 23 forms an upper side screen outlet through which the screen 21 may feed downwardly over the flange 24. Likewise, the space between the side wall 16 and the flange 24 forms pockets at the ends of the casing into which the upper ends of the side reveals 13 interfit, as shown in Figure 2, so as to brace and hold the casing and flange 24 in place in the window opening.

The top wall extension 22 has a series of screw apertures 25 through which screws are set into the upper rail of the door, and to permit the placing of such screws, the side wall extension 2.3l has somewhat larger openings 26, each alined with one of the apertures 25. The top wall extension 22 is also provided with a series of integral struck up tongues 27 which are offset therefrom into the screen out-let space below the said extension, for a purpose which will presently appear.

As shown, in Figures 1 and 2, the free edge of the screen 21 is riveted or otherwise fastened to a cross bar 28 whose ends, like the side edges of the screen, are adapted to slide in the space between the felts` 12. This bar has along its lower edge a horizontal inwardly projecting flange 29 having along its terminal edge a series of downturned portions 30, certain of which form depending hooks 3l. A supporting strip 32 is cemented or otherwise secured to the glass panel 1l along its inner face parallel to, and spaced from, the upper edge thereof and supports a series of spaced U-shaped members 33 whose upper terminals are bent to engage and support the ends of hook rods 34 which the hooks 3l may engage, as seen in Figure 2. Thus, the hooks may shift angularly into the screen outlet of the roller housing when the glass panel 1l is moved upwardly to the top of the window opening, permitting the upper edge of the glass to seat snugly in closed position without danger of-releasing the hooks 3l from the hook rods 34. On the other hand, the hooks 31 are so spaced that when manually detached from the hook rods, as when the screen is not desired, and the screen released, the hooks upon entering the roller housing, will engage the struck up tongues 27 so as to prevent passage of the hook bar 28 completely into the roller housing. It will be noted, from Figure 2, that when the hook bar ,28 is engaged with the screen connecting barof the glass panel, the downturned portions 30 of the hook bar overlap the upper edge portion of the panel whereby to prevent ingress of insects below the attached screen.

Obviously, the installation of my improved screen thus becomes a simple and easy matter, and it is also obvious that the shape of the roller housing may be varied to suit window openings slanting, rounded or otherwise abnormally shaped at the tops as in some cars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a screening attachment for an automobile window having a sliding glass panel and detachable reveal strips around the window opening inwardly of said panel, a screen roller housing attachable across the upper inner portion of the window opening upon removal of the upper reveal strip and having a laterally extending top wall, one side wall having an upper angular extension spaced from vthe top wall extension to form a screen outlet therebetween and terminating in a downturned flange forming a screen guide, the said side wall and its extension and ilange forming external pockets at the ends of the housing receiving the upper ends of the side reveal strips of the window. 2. In a screening attachment for automobile windows having a sliding glass panel and detachable inner reveals, a roller housing across the upper portion of the window opening in place of the upper reveal and having a roller chamber and a lateral outlet adjacent to its upper portion, the upper and lower walls of which outlet have alined openings whereby the upper wall may be fastened to the window casing, and the lower wall of Awhich outlet and one wall of said roller chamber form between them pocketsat the ends of the housing to receive the upper ends of the side reveals whereby to thus firmly brace the housing in place.

3. In a screening attachment for automobile windows having a sliding glass panel and detachable inner' reveals, a roller housing across the upper portion of the window opening in place of the upper reveal and having a roller chamber and a lateral outlet adjacent to its upper portion, the upper and lower walls of which outlet have alined openings whereby the upper wall may be fastened to the window casing, the upper wall of said outlet also having integral struck up tongues projecting into the outlet for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflx mv signature.

WILFORD ROGERS. 

